Defending Child Centred Practice in the Reception Year– we need your help!
Defending Child Centred Practice in the Reception Year – we need your help!
Although the recent Ofsted "Bold Beginnings" report (Nov 2017: 170045) identifies some good practice which is fully compatible with the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), it also makes some contentious recommendations which are unsupported by child development and research evidence. It contains an underlying agenda of downward pressure from KS1 to narrow the early years curriculum and implicitly praises schools that have based their literacy and maths curriculum in the reception year on National Curriculum expectations for Year 1.
To counterbalance this approach the Sheffield Branch of Early Education is undertaking to gather data to find schools with Reception Classes who are maintaining the momentum of children’s progress year on year using a play-based philosophy which includes balancing child-led play and activities with adult-focused teaching (EYFS 1.8); the Characteristics of Effective Learning (EYFS 1.9), Continuous Provision indoors and outdoors, and keeping the Prime Areas of Learning at the heart of teaching.
We are focusing on data which is required as part of the usual evidence of children’s progress and achievement at the end of the Foundation Stage and into KS1. It is also the data that Ofsted (and other bodies) will use to monitor impact in their inspections.
There are a few questions to complete but they are all based on your FSP Data and some data from KS1. This will enable us to see a year on year picture and show the ongoing, longer term effect of high quality teaching on children’s development and learning.
Your time and contribution to the survey will build a broader more informed picture of the impact of the EYFS and the Reception Year.
Some help before you start:
- You will need to have your data headlines for the last 3 years – 2015, 2016, 2017 - Data includes the Good Level of Development (GLD), Average Progress, Age Related Expectations and Early Learning Goals (ELGs) - The Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI) quintile for your school - Data for the phonics screening - Data for reading, writing and maths in KS1
Important Tip:
To avoid losing your response as you work though the survey (and to keep your own copy) it would be a good idea to initially save your answers on a word document and then cut and paste into the survey.
The Survey will close Monday April 16th 2018
Many thanks for agreeing to take part in the survey
The Sheffield Branch of Early Education
How your data will be used
1. Your contact data and the data you provide about your school will be used by the Sheffield Branch of Early Education to inform this piece of research. The researchers may use your contact data for any follow up questions. Schools will not be identified in the final report unless consent has been obtained to do so. The data will not be used for any other purposes.
2. Early Education, as a national organisation, would like to keep in touch with schools regarding our activities and in particular our campaigning in relation to the Reception Year. Please tick the box below if you would like to be included on our mailing lists, and we will send you details of how to choose what communications you would like to receive from us. If you do not tick the box we will not add you to any of our mailing lists.